Sex, murder, laughs and lighthouses – all human life is at this year's BFI London Film Festival. Here are Empire's essential picks to help you pick out the best of the Fest.
The Personal History of David Copperfield
One for fans of... revamped costume drama.
Charles Dickens' 1850 classic gets a colourblind casting treatment from Armando Iannucci with Dev Patel as the boy who sets out on a quest to become a writer. Co-starring Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw and Gwendoline Christie, it promises laughs, heart, and a timely reminder about the power of kindness.
The Irishman
One for fans of... A-List wise guys.
Scorsese. De Niro. Pacino. Pesci. Marty returning to his gangster roots employs bleeding edge de-ageing technology to tell a true-life Mob story spanning decades. Expect as much passing-of-time melancholia as mooks with machine guns.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
One for fans of... empathy.
America's Mr Congeniality Tom Hanks plays beloved US children's TV host Fred Rogers, who transforms the life of a cynical journo (Matthew Rhys) sent to profile him. Directed by the brilliant Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), who excels at textured, touching drama.
JoJo Rabbit
One for fans of... sticking it to the Nazis.
Only Taika Waititi could get away with reimagining Adolf Hitler as a kid's imaginary friend. But this offers more than just big laughs and sharp mockery: it's chiefly a poignant romance between an Aryan boy (Roman Griffin Davis) and a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie).
Knives Out
One for fans of... modern murder mysteries.
An Agatha Christie-styled whodunnit from Rian Johnson sees detective Daniel Craig investigate the enigmatic Thrombey family (including Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette). Seen the trailer? Read our primer? You're in already.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
One for fans of... stunning period flicks.
Céline Sciamma's Cannes favourite is a slow burning, sensual story of forbidden love between an 18th century painer (Noémie Merlant) and her subject (Adèle Haenel). Promises to be as thoughtful as it is intoxicating.
Seberg
One for fans of... New Wave nostalgia.
Arguably one of the best actors currently working, Kristen Stewart plays Jean Seberg, the iconic actress from Godard's Breathless who was investigated by the FBI during the Civil Rights movement in the '60s.
Rare Beasts
One for fans of... unsentimental love stories.
Billie Piper's debut as both director and writer is a decidedly unromantic comedy about a career-driven single mother (Piper) who falls for a troubled man struggling to find his place in the #TimesUp age.
Greed
One for fans of... rinsing the rich.
The 60th birthday party of a retail billionaire (Steve Coogan) on the Greek island of Mykonos is the focus for Michael Winterbottom's scathing satire of the mega-rich. Enjoy a Trip into the vulgar and truly awful.
The Lighthouse
One for fans of... nerve-shredding psychohorror.
Robert Eggers' follow-up to the super unsettling The Witch. Robert Pattinson (facial hair) and Willem Dafoe (bigger facial hair) go slowly mad in striking black and white. Think German Expressionism meets Ingmar Bergman meets Fraggle Rock.
Judy and Punch
One for fans of... revisionist takes on puppet shows.
The venerable end-of-the-pier puppet show about wife beating and baby snatching gets a revisionist makeover in Mirrah Foulkes' inventive debut feature. An origin story of sorts, the tragical comedy / comical tragedy stars Mia Wasikowska as Judy, with Damon Herriman as Mr Punch. Probably no crocodile or sausages in this version.
Deerskin
One for fans of... the bizarre imagination of Quentin Dupieux.
French writer-director Quentin Dupieux (Mr Oizo, Rubber) turns his off-kilter aesthetic to the serial killer genre, in this yarn about a man (Jean Dujardin) dangerously fond of his jacket. Expect culty derangement in large measure.
Le Mans '66
One for fans of... thrilling true-life motor racing movies.
The riveting story of Ford's underdog challenge to Ferrari's dominance at the 1966 Le Mans 24 hour race stars Christian Bale and Matt Damon as the driver-manager combo who defied all the odds. James Mangold directs.
Waiting For the Barbarians
One for fans of... anti-colonial allegory.
Ciro Guerra follows Birds of Passage with an allegorical epic written by JM Coetzee (adapting his 2004 novel). Mark Rylance stars as a colonial magistrate who foments rebellion in opposition to the dastardly Colonel Joll (Johnny Depp).
The Colour Out of Space
One for fans of... Lovecraftian cosmic horror (and Nicolas Cage).
HP Lovecraft's 1927 short story about a new colour on the visible spectrum that drives people mad is arguably unfilmable (except in black and white) but has nevertheless frequently been filmed. Richard Stanley is the latest to make the attempt: his first narrative feature since the Island of Doctor Moreau debacle in 1996. Nicolas Cage stars.
The BFI London Film Festival runs from 2-13 October. Tickets on sale now****.